Released in 1995 and brought to us by Tony Scott, Crimson Tide is a tense thriller set on a military sub that has nukes on it. I was scrolling through Disney Plus the other night and noticed Crimson Tide was on there so I decided to give it a watch. I have been on a bit of a 90s movie kick recently so this was the perfect movie for me at that time.
How to Download Crimson Tide
Crimson Tide was released on May 12, 1995. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like submarine thrillers, you also need to watch The Hunt for Red October.
The Movie Review
Rediscovering Crimson Tide
I had seen this before, it was a movie I rented on VHS back in the 90s, but this was the first time I had seen it in the better part of 30 years! I have to say I am glad that I had not seen this in such a long time as I had forgotten most of what had happened. I do feel that Crimson Tide is one of those movies that probably would not be as exciting if you already knew what was going to happen.
Plot Overview of Crimson Tide
On paper, Crimson Tide sounds like a very basic and typical military kind of thriller movie. In Russia, a rebel group that serves under Vladimir Radchenko has taken hold of a military facility that has nuclear weapons. As you would expect with Cold War tensions still being on people’s minds, the USA does not take kindly to this news.
The USS Alabama, a US navel sub with nuclear capabilities and captained by Frank Ramsy is sent to be ready in case a nuclear strike on the Russian facility is needed. Frank’s number two on the USS Alabama is LT Ron Hunter and despite being very smart and tactically brilliant, he has never seen combat.
The Leadership Clash
These two are about as opposite as you can get. Frank is a battle-hardened kind of leader who is willing to strike hard and strike fast, Ron on the other hand is more methodical and likes to think before he acts. They make for a great pairing, but their two very different views on things come to an extreme head.
A message is received on the USS Alabama. They are told to strike the Russian facility, but another message comes through but is cut off due to a battle with another sub. They do not know if the message was confirming the strike or telling them to stand down. Frank believes that they should make the strike as it was the last clear set of orders that they got. Ron on the other hand feels that they should not strike in case the message was telling them to hold off.
High Stakes on the High Seas
This puts the two at odds and the men on the sub are split with some thinking that Frank is right and some thinking that Ron is right. It makes for a very tense movie where you are always flipping sides on who you think is in the right. For a movie that takes place 90 percent on a submarine, it is so claustrophobic and tense that they do a great job of making you feel like you are down there with them.
Stellar Performances
A huge part of what makes Crimson Tide such a great movie is the acting. Frank is played by Gene Hackman and Ron is played by Denzel Washington and these two have amazing chemistry. They both make you believe that they are right which is kind of fun as it makes you always change your mind about whose side you are on.
I forgot how good a movie Crimson Tide was, it has not aged at all and I was on the edge of my seat as the tension in the movie reached its apex. I will admit that I am not sure I would have found it as exciting if I had remembered more of it. This is one that I highly recommend, especially if you have never seen it before and are in the mood for a very tense thriller.
